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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	king_n	read_v	word_n	2,471	5	4.0470	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48882	Further considerations concerning raising the value of money wherein Mr. Lowndes's arguments for it in his late Report concerning an essay for the amendment of the silver coins, are particularly examined.	Locke, John, 1632-1704.	1695 (1695)	Wing L2745; ESTC R23043	55,764	130

that in past Ages hath been practised not only in our Mint but in the Mints of all Politick Governments namely to raise the value of Silver in the Coin to promote the work of the Mint As I remember suitable to this Policy of the Mint there was some two years since a complaint of a worthy Gentleman not ignorant of it that the Mill in the Mint stood still And therefore there was a Proposal offer'd for bringing Grist to the Mill. The business of Money as in all Times even in this our quick-sighted Age hath been thought a Mystery Those imploy'd in the Mint must by their places be supposed to penetrate deepest into it 'T is no impossible thing then to imagine that it was not hard in the Ignorance of past Ages when Money was little and Skill in the Turns of Trade less for those versed in the Business and Policy of the Mint to perswade a Prince especially if Money were scarce that the Fault was in the Standard of the Mint and that the way to increase the Plenty of Money was to raise a well sounding Word the Value of the Coin This could not but be willingly enough hearkened to when besides the Hopes of drawing an Increase of Silver into the Realm it brought present Gain by the Part which the King got of the Money which was hereupon all coined anew and the Mint Officers lost nothing since it promoted the Work of the Mint This Opinion Mr. Lowndes himself gives sufficient ground for in his Book particularly p. 29. where we read these Words Although the former Debasements of the Coins by publick Authority especially those in the Reign of King Henry VIII and King Edward VI. might be projected for the Profit of the Crown and the Projectors might measure that Profit by the excessive Quantities of Allay that were mixed with the Silver and the Gold and let me add or by the Quantity of Silver lessened in each Species which is the same thing And though this was enterprized by a Prince who could stretch his Prerogative very far upon his People and was done in Times when the Nation had very little Commerce Inland or Foreign to be injur'd and prejudiced thereby yet Experience presently shewed that the Projectors were mistaken and that it was absolutely necessary to have the base Money reformed This at least they were not mistaken in that they brought Work to the Mint and a Part of the Money coined to the Crown for Seigniorage in both which there was Profit Mr. Lowndes tells us p. 44. that Henry VIII had to the Value of fifty Shillings for every Pound Weight of Gold coined I have met with it somewhere that formerly the King might take what he pleased for Coinage I know not too but the flattering Name of raising Money might prevail then as it does now and impose so far on them as to make them think the raising i. e. diminishing the Silver in their Coin would bring it into the Realm or stay it here when they found it going out For if we may guess at the other by Henry VIII's raising it was probably when by reason of Expence in foreign Wars or ill managed Trade they found Money begin to grow scarce The having the Species of our Coin one fifth bigger or one fifth less than they are at present would be neither good nor harm to England if they had always been so Our Standard has continued in weight and fineness just as it is now for very near this hundred Years last past And those who think the Denomination and Size of our Money have any Influence on the State of our Wealth have no reason to change the present Standard of our Coin since under that we have had a greater increase and longer Continuance of Plenty of Money than perhaps any other Country can shew I see no reason to think that a little bigger or less Size of the pieces coined is of any moment one was or t'other The Species of Money in any Country of whatsoever Sizes fit for coining if their Proportions to one another be suited to Arithmetick and Calculations in whole Numbers and the Ways of Account in that Country adapted to small Payments and carefully kept to their just Weight and Fineness can have no Harm in them The Harm comes by the change which unreasonably and unjustly gives away and transfers Men's Properties disorders Trade puzzels Accounts and needs a new Arithmetick to cast up Reckonings and keep Accounts in besides a thousand other Inconveniencies not to mention the Charge of recoining the Money For this may be depended on that if our Money be raised as is proposed it will inforce the recoining of all our Money both old and new except the new Shillings to avoid the terrible Difficulty and Confusion there will be in keeping Accounts in Pounds Shillings and Pence as they must be when the Species of our Money are so ordered as not to answer those Denominations in round Numbers This Consideration leads me to Mr. Lowndes fifth and sixth Reasons p. 85. wherein he recommends the raising our Money in the Proportion proposed for its Convenience to our accounting by Pounds Shillings and Pence And for obviating Perplexity among the common People he proposes the present weigthy Crown to go at six Shillings three Pence and the new Scepter or Vnite to be coined of the same Weight to go at the same rate and Half-crowns Half-scepters or Half-unites of the Weight of the present Half-erown to go for two Shillings seven Pence Half-penny By no Number of which Pieces can there be made an even Pound Sterling or any Number of even Shillings under a Pound but they always fall into Fractions of Pounds and Shillings as may be seen by this following Table     l. s. d. 1 Crown or Scepter piece   6 3 2 Crown pieces   12 6 3 Crown pieces   18 9 4 Crown pieces 1 5   1 Half-crown piece   2 7 ½ 3 Half-crown pieces   8 10 ½ 5 Half-crown pieces   15 1 ½ 7 Half-crowns 1 1 4 ½ The present Shilling and new Testoon going for 15. Pence no Number of them make any Number of even Shillings but five Shillings ten Shillings fifteen Shillings and twenty Shillings but in all the rest they always fall into Fractions The like may be said of the present Six-pences and future half Testoons going for Seven Pence Half-penny the quarter Testoons which are to go for three pence three farthings and the Gross and Groats which are to go for five pence the half Gross or Groat which is to go for two pence half penny and the Prime which is to go for a penny farthing Out of any Tale of each of which Species there can no just Number of Shillings be made as I think but five Shillings ten Shillings fifteen Shillings and twenty Shillings but they always fall into Fractions The new intended Shilling alone seems to be suited to our accounting in Pounds